RUSH BIOGRAPHIES, Henry County, Missouri
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RUSH, John A. - b: 1842 Greene Co, OH
source: 1919 History of Henry Co MO, Uel W. Lamkin, Historical Publishing Co - 
page: 608
residence: Blairstown, Bogard Twp

John A. Rush, late of Blairstown, Missouri, was a Union veteran of the Civil War 
and one of the interesting pioneer settlers of Henry County. He was born in 
Greene County, Ohio, January 12, 1842, the only child of Alvah and Mary A. 
(Roberts) Rush, the former a native of Kentucky and the latter of Maryland. The 
father died in Big Creek township in 1874, the mother having passed away in Ohio 
in 1863. John A. Rush was reared and educated in Ohio and spent his early life in 
the uneventful way of the average boy of his time. In 1863 he enlisted at London, 
Ohio, in the 154th Ohio National Guard and served about one year, being mustered 
out of service September 27, 1864, at Camp Denison. In 1866 he came to Missouri 
and first settled at Independence, where he remained two years. In 1868 he came 
to Henry County and settled on the present site of Blairstown in Bogard township. 
Here he built a log cabin in February, 1869. He lived in a tent for a time until his 
cabin was completed. Mr. Rush recalled that his log cabin was located about fifty 
feet southwest of where Shepperd's garage now stands. This log house was his 
home until 1875, when he built a frame house which was destroyed by fire, and 
he built his present residence in 1886. Mr. Rush remembered among the pioneer 
residents who helped him raise his first log cabin the names of Conrad Fisher, 
Jesse Fisher, Henry Lotspeich, Boone McCarty, Conrad McCarty, K. Elliott, John 
Cox, Wilson Redford, Elias Gilkner, James Jenkins, Thomas Jenkins, Ira Dunham 
and his brother and Daniel Quick. They are all dead now except Elias Gilkner. Mr. 
Rush had been successfully engaged in farming and stock raising and was the 
owner of one of the valuable farms of Henry County. It consists of four hundred 
eighty-one acres of well improved and productive land. Mr. Rush was one of the 
first to sow blue grass in Bogard township. He departed this life June 3, 1918. 
Mr. Rush was united in marriage in 1874 to Miss Mary A. Wall, a daughter of Dr. Z. 
R. Wall, a Johnson County pioneer and a native of South Carolina, who was one of 
the very early settlers in the southern part of Johnson County, now deceased. Mrs. 
Rush has one brother now living, Robert Wall, who resides at Denton, Missouri. 
She has three sisters, Mrs. Fannie Hughes, Mrs. Margaret Simpson and Mrs. 
Cornelia Hubbard, all residing at Denton, Missouri. To John A. Rush and wife have 
been born the following children: Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Wright, Kansas City; Mrs. 
Maudie Alice Urton, Kansas City, Missouri; John W., Blairstown, Missouri; Mrs. 
Lillie Eva Gilliam, Johnson County, Missouri; Mrs. Glennie Anderson, Johnson 
County, Missouri; Mrs. Maggie Hunt, Blairstown, Missouri, and Cliffie, who resides 
at home. Mr. Rush always took an active part in local public affairs and was 
deeply interested in any movement for the improvement and up-building of the 
community. He was the original promoter of Drainage District No.2 and was 
president of that company. This drainage system is thirteen miles long, running 
from the Judge Guyer farm in Johnson County southeast through Bogard township 
in Henry County to the W. S. Ward farm in Big Creek township. This drainage 
movement met with strong opposition at first but Mr. Rush with the assistance 
of some others who had the foresight to see the benefits to be derived from such 
a project, succeeded in overcoming the reactionary element. It is now universally 
conceded that the project was the proper thing. Mr. Rush saw practically all of 
the development of Henry County and played an important part in the progress in 
this, the banner county of Missouri. He was a man who always lived a clean and 
upright life and cultivated simple habits. He lived to be seventy-six years of age 
and physically and mentally was equal to the average man a score of years his 
junior. He was one of the substantial and highly respected citizens of Henry 
County. Mr. Rush was a member of the Christian Church for over thirty years and 
was affiliated with the Grand Army Post of Blairstown.

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